Seabiscuit
Overview Seabiscuit is an Academy Award-nominated 2003 American drama film based on the best-selling book Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand. The story recounts the life and racing career of Seabiscuit, an undersized and overlooked thoroughbred race horse whose unexpected successes made him a hugely popular sensation in the United States near the end of the Great Depression in the 1930s. The film follows the book fairly closely, albeit does take some liberties with times and places in order to compress the presentation. David McCullough's narration gives the film somewhat of a "documentary" feel and adds to the drama of the story. There are also many horseracing scenes in which the camera is placed among the jockeys, giving the audience a realistic sense of "riding along" in the race. Character Analysis *Charles Howard -A former bicycle builder, who becomes a wealthy businessman selling and promoting the automobile. -Belioeves int he American dream that you can become your own boss. -Is opportunitstic (takes up opportunities) -Has a can do spirit. -Is entrpeneurial and resourceful -Is tolerant and compassionate towards others; their mistakes. -Sees an opportunity when there is a difficulty *Tom Smith -A former cowboy and horse herder, his lifestyle is being overtaken by new developments in society. -He is sensitive to horses. -He has a calming way about him. *Red Pollard -The son of a school teacher, he loves risding horses. When the Great depression arises, he trurns his focus on becoming a jockey. He is cosntantly told that he is too tall and doesn't ahve the temperemtn to be a jockey. -He is a fighter, figiratively and literally. -He seems to do anything to survive, including boxing where he is plundered. *Seabiscuit -A small, muscular horse, who is dismissed as worthless as a racehorse -Has indomitable will; heart Plot Summary Early Days for Charles, Tom, and Red It was the time of the arrival of the car, and the era of mass production. As a result, says the narrator, it was both the beginning and the end of imagination. We hone in on Charles Howard who is working at a bicycle factory. He realizes that he does not have to be a spoke in a wheel, but he can create his own wheel, metaphorically speaking. Thus, he imagines that he can do something better with his life. And so Charles heads west to San Francisco, and opens up his own bicycle shop. Unfortunately, he is unable to draw any customers. One day a Stanley Steamer car overheats in front of his store, and the car owner asks Charles, who is sitting there waiting for customers, to fix it. Charles has never worked on the innards of a car before, but still, in entrepreneurial fashion, and in the can-do spirit of the times, he agrees to take on the project. After struggling with the complicated parts, he is amazed by the beauty of the design of the systems, and is able to fix it beyond the expectations of the customer. As a result of such experiences, Charles goes into the business of selling cars. Charles then becomes an important representative for the car industry in his region, and prospers to no end. He believes deeply in the future of the automobile. With his newfound wealth, he purchases a huge spread in Northern California that includes stables where he keeps not only horses but also his array of fast cars. Meanwhile, Tom Smith rides the range of the American west as a cowboy whose responsibility it is to herd horses on the vast, beautiful landscape. However, he is also coming to grips with the fact the world is changing, in particular the emergence of new technologies, including the automobile, which in total is beginning to make his lifestyle obsolete. And yet Tom has this special gift with horse -- an innate ability to relate to them, including the capacity to calm them when they are distressed. We also meet Red Pollard and his family who live in Alberta, Canada. Red at age 6 is riding horses, and shows a great penchant and skill in that area. Red’s father is a teacher, and raises his children with high morals, which they learn about through the many books of literature and poetry that he shares with them. It is a very close family. Red’s father expresses a deep belief in the infinite possibilities of life, which he continually tries to expose to his children through the great stories and words of literature. Unfortunately, just as he expresses this unbounded optimism to a gathering in his home, he gets word by phone that the stock market has crashed. As a result, the American financial system takes a big hit, with millions left unemployed. It is the beginning of the Great Depression. In the environment of poverty, Red’s family are in a state of desperation. Like others, they are forced to take to the road in their cars to live in camps. In their desperation for funds, they allow their son to race horses -- something they normally would not have readily acceded to. They then send him away so that he can go on the road and participate in more lucrative horse races. The separation is difficult emotionally for Red and his parents. At first, the managers at the track think that Red is too tall to be a jockey, despite his exceptional skills. In the months that follow, he rides in hard fought races, where the riders engage in whipping and other forms of intimidation to gain the upper hand. In fact, in his first major race, he gets so embroiled in fighting with another jockey, that at the very end another jockey pulls ahead and wins. As a result, his boss gives him a dressing down in the locker room. Red’s hot head tendencies have led to this racing failure, as well as the wrath of his superior. Hard Times and New Opportunities As a result of the Great Depression, Charles business deteriorates. The atmosphere is glum. One day he goes into San Francisco on business, leaving his son behind. The very young son packs a lunch, and takes off in a pickup truck. On a high-mountainous country road, he is in a crash. Charles finds out and rushes home, but the boy dies. Charles is utterly devastated. Realizing what has occurred, he locks the stable that held racecars, and goes through a period of deep depression and introspection. Soon thereafter in the wake of the tragedy, Charles’ wife leaves him. Meanwhile, in a parallel situation Tom without work and impoverished is forced to ride the rails as a hobo in order to survive. As for Red, he has now taken to boxing in order to survive, and suffers several humiliating beatings. Still, he continues to read the books his father gave him, culling some meaning in them, while trying to live a very difficult life. After grieving, Charles heads down to a racetrack in Mexico, along the border with the US, where certain vices are more tolerated. He slowly begins to come out of his shell. Red also happens to be there as a regular jockey at the track. He is still haunted by his early failures as a jockey, and as a boxer. One day at the same track, a horse with a broken leg is about to be put down after a race. However, a man comes forward and asks that the animal be spared. As a result, the horse is not shot, and this man goes over and calms the very agitated animal. The man is the former horse herder Tom. Charles meets Miranda (sp?) meet at the Mexican track. She gets Charles to ride on a horse again, and they go off riding in the Mexican countryside. As they continue to see one another, Charles starts opening up. Soon thereafter, they marry. Now feeling better, Charles looks into getting into the horse and begins to purchase various racehorses. As he walks around the stables, he sees a man in the high grass who is tending a lame horse. It is Tom, who is stroking the horse that he prevented from being put down. This situation intrigues Charles, and that night he goes out into the wood where he finds Tom at his campfire. Charles asks Tom if the horse that he was tending to will race. Tom says no. But he also says that every horse is good for something; that you don’t throw away a whole life because it’s banged up a little. (This is symbolic of Tom’s status, and also resonates with Charles, who has also been through difficult times recently. )Charles reacts positively to Tom’s directness, honesty, and good spirit. It is three months later, and the scene shifts to a famous racetrack in Saratoga, New York. Tom is commenting to Charles about the horse he is watching. He says, "that in racing it is not just the speed, but the heart." He says that you want a horse that is not afraid to compete; who wants to fight to win. E knows from years of experience working with and interacting with horses. It turns out that Red is working tending horses at the stables at the track, when Tom comes by and sees him for the first time. Seabiscuit Seabiscuit was a small horse, had a small limp in his gait, and tended to wheeze. When he was young he was gentle, slept a lot, and ate even more. Later on he became obstinate and incorrigible according to his owners. He also did not win the races he was in. As a result, they dismissed him as a racehorse, turning him into a training horse instead that other horses could run against in practice. And yet he had spirit and intensity. With this background, Tom tells Charles that Seabiscuit indeed has spirit, and could eventually be calmed down and trained to be a legitimate racehorse. Tom then walks off and comes upon a scene where one man is taking on a group of others in a fight. It is Red. he then looks back at the feisty, rebellious, uncontrollable Seabiscuit and senses a connection between the two. After apparently discussing the matter with Tom, Red goes to see Seabiscuit, and then after interacting with him says, "I know what you are all about," as they are kindred spirits, or very much alike. Thereafter red begins to tame him. Shortly thereafter, when Seabiscuit is saddled by Red and is about to race him, Tom introduces Red to Charles and his wife. Tom perceives the potential in Seabiscuit, if only the horse can learn to overcome what the previous owners had turned him into -- an obstinate, rebellious horse. Tom says that Seabiscuit would be fine "if only he could become a horse again." Red then rides him, letting him run free on the track, and then in the countryside, in essence allowing Seabiscuit to be a horse again. Seabiscuit responds in full. red then says that Seabiscuit is an amazing horse. Tom and Red then go to visit Charles at his beautiful estate. When Charles notices that red refuses to eat. he did so because he was self-conscious of becoming too heavy as a jockey. Charles in a moment of understanding and compassion says that he would rather have him strong than thin. (Like the horse red is unconventional in built for a jockey -- yet he is accepted by Red for what he is. This is a central theme in the story, and can be said to be one of the major causes of accomplishment in the tale.) We then see that just as Charles cared for the well-being of Red, despite is limitations, the society -- through various government policies of the New deal -- cared for the people who were suffering. (Again we see the theme of the parallel between the predicament of the people in the story and that of the society at the time.) We also see that Charles was giving Red the affection that he was unable to give his son because he died. As a result, Charles opens up the stables which he had locked down after his son's death, indicating that Charles himself is opening up and ready to more fully return to life through his emotional interactions with Red. We then return to Tom's struggles to calm down Seabiscuit. He devises ways to calm him down, including bringing in other types of animals like sheep, which fail, and by bringing in a mare which succeeds in calming Seabiscuit. With a calmed horse, Tom instructs Red how to run a race with the horse. He instructs Red to hold him back for most of the race and then turn him lose at the end where he is capable of making great bursts. When red runs Seabiscuit the horse does not respond and runs lethargically. However, when he sees another horse ahead of him, his competitive drive kicks in and he sprints ahead. Thereafter in practice he breaks the Tanforan (sp?) race track record. To this Tom responds that he just hankers for some competition. The day then arrives for Seabiscuit's first official race at v. Tom once again gives Red instruction how to run the race; i.e. to stay with the pack until near the end, and then burst forward. However, during the race Red gets embroiled with another jockey over physical tactics, loses his temper, and thus looses focus of Tom's instructions. The result is a familiar of a race that haunted Red from the past as other horses forge ahead as Red is preoccupied, causing Seabiscuit to lose a race he might have won. After the race there is a heated argument in which Red tries to defend himself to Tom. Charles, overhearing the discussion asks Red what he is so mad about (translation: mad about in life.) Red is struck by his words. The next day Red comes forward and asks for some money so that he can tend to dental needs and other bills. (Perhaps Red has actually been troubled all these years by his poverty.) Charles in turn gives Red twice the money he asked for. Soon thereafter, and now feeling considerably better emotionally and psychologically he runs another race with Seabiscuit using Tom's strategy. The horse pulls away from the field at the end and has a glorious victory. The crowd and the owners are stunned by this turn of events. Charles then tells the gathered press that the key is that Seabiscuit has a heart: that a little horse like him can do great things. (Charles' generosity, forgiveness, and patience with red attract this good fortune of the won race. Also, Tom's positive psychological condition also lends additional positive energy that brings about this instance of good fortune.) Major Themes *''Inner Power to Overcome Adversity'' The obstacles and adversity that the three men and the horse go through and overcome Optimism; unfettered by disappointment *''Power of Intention, Intensity, Will for Success'' The heart and passion that succeeds. Of the individuals; of the horse. Having the Heart and Passion that overcomes all Power of determination (to rise out of adversity) (both jockey and horse are injured, yet stage a successful comeback) *''Power of Tolerance, Acceptance, Forgiveness'' Tom and Red then go to visit Charles at his beautiful estate. When Charles notices that red refuses to eat. he did so because he was self-cosncsous of becoming too heavy as a jockey. Charles in a moment of understanding and compassion says that he would rather have him strong than thin. (Like the horse red is unconventionasl in built for a jockey -- yet he is accepteed by red flor what he is. This is a central theme in the story, and can be said to be one of the major causes of accomplishment.) *''Parallel of the Struggle of Individuals and Society'' The victory of horse is symbolic of people's needs to overcome the struggle of the Great Depression. Tom and Red then go to visit Charles at his beautiful estate. When Charles notices that red refuses to eat. he did so because he was self-cosncsous of becoming too heavy as a jockey. Charles in a moment of understanding and compassion says that he would rather have him strong than thin. (Like the horse red is unconventionasl in built for a jockey -- yet he is accepteed by red flor what he is. This is a central theme in the story, and can be said to be one of the major causes of accomplishment.) We then see that just as Charles cared for the well-being of Red, despite his limitations, the society -- through various government policiies of the New deal -- cared for the people who were suffering. (Again we see the them of the paralle between the predicament of the people inteh story and that of the society at the time.) * All for One and One for All (the 3 for the one goal of success; the society and the individual during the great depression) OTHER THEMES: *Unbounded Opportunity in America, the West *Individuality, the American Spirit The Social Context *Infinite possibility (in the virgin land of America) *The Great Depression *The meld of the two during these times Human Accomplishment *We Become that Which We Believe We Can Become A World Where Everything was Possible (USA) (We can be anything we choose to become -- message of the Gita) *Positive Attitude Optimism; unfettered by disappointment Hope and Encouragement (of the society above; of Howard to others) Being flexible in changing circumstance promote success. *Power of Intention Having the Heart and Passion (that overcomes all) Willingness to do anything to succeed (e.g. any job no matter how low) Power of determination (to rise out of adversity) (both jockey and horse are injured, yet stage a successful comeback) *Strength Overcoming Obstacles; rising above adversity Overcoming Adversity How these three individuals are able to put failure behind them. Courage Risk Taking *Organizing for Success Developing right strategies for success; using psychological insight (as Charles does in setting up races with eastern owners. *Power of Values (Tom's values of compassion and redemption. Charles' of optimism and forgiveness. Being non-judgmental and tolerant (As Charles is) *Social Values Teamwork All pulling together (the 3 for the one goal of success; the society and the individual during the great depression) *Perception Values Content not Form Going beyond appearance (Seabiscuit was small, yet had great inner resources; Red Pollard was too heavy as jockey) *Spiritual Values Equality of Being Self-Givingness Need for equality in the face of success (or difficulty) (premature celebration cancels)(energy build up) *Confronting the negative Be careful of negative influences (and how one attracts them) (When one rises, there are forces that tend to pull us down; we must be careful of them. Hey come from outside and from within, e.g. reckless behavior) *Power of Accomplishment Power of accomplishment through positive attitude, that all was possible, compassion, being non-judgmental, hard work, overcoming obstacles, etc. *Human Progress, Evolution, Transformation The transformations of the characters -- including the emotional changes through which each of the characters progresses. The Character of Life *Life Response (what it is) (i.e. onset of sudden good fortune) *Forgiveness and Psychological Adjustment Attract The day then arrives for Seabiscuit's first official race at v. Tom once again gives Red instruction how to run the race; i.e. to stay with the pack until near the end, and then burst forward. However, during the race Red gets embroiled with another jockey over physical tactics, loses his temper, and thus looses focus of Tom's instructions. The result is a familiar of a race that haunted Red from the past as other horses forge ahead as Red is preoccupied, causing Seabiscuit to lose a race he might have won. After the race there is a heated argument in which Red tries to defend himself to Tom. Charles, overhearing the discussion asks Red what he is so mad about (translation: mad about in life.) Red is struck by his words. The next day Red comes forward and asks for some money so that he can tend to dental needs and other bills. (Perhaps Red has actually been troubled all these years by his poverty.) Charles in turn gives Red twice the money he asked for. Soon thereafter, and now feeling considerably better emotionally and psychologically he runs another race with Seabiscuit using Tom's strategy. The horse pulls away from the field at the end and has a glorious victory. The crowd and the owners are stunned by this turn of events. Charles then tells the gathered press that the key is that Seabiscuit has a heart: that a little horse like him can do great things. (Charles' generosity, forgiveness, and patience with red attract this good fortune of the won race. Also, Tom's positive psychological condition also lends additional positive energy that brings about this instance of good fortune.) *Be careful of negative influences (and how one attracts them) (When one rises there are forces that tend to pull us down; we must be careful of them. Hey come from outside and from within, e.g. reckless behavior) *The negative in one's life serves the positive. (Death of Charles' son) Commentary *'Mass production is great, but it also engenders conformity. Charles is alerted that he can break out of it. “Make a better spoke.” That’s the creative instinct that enables his success.' It’s a value that’s higher than physical organization. It is a movement toward individuality and creativity. “It was a land of opportunity.” The different spoke was not only a metaphor for Charles’ own way through by starting a bicycle store, but was an actual reality he created -- i.e. the spokes that are in a bicycle. His bicycle shop venture didn’t succeed at first. Yet still it became a vehicle for a vast opportunity that came his way. (Again, it was a land of opportunity. Of positive atmosphere of infinite potential.) *'Charles had a can-do attitude; that in essence internally matched or reflected the land of opportunity.' Than attitude enabled him to try to fix a car when he was working at the bicycle shop, when he had never looked inside one before. Since he needed the money, he thought why not? He was resourceful as well, as were the people of the land. (They had the knowledge of European society in them to easily create a new world, a better one, more pure.) Whether he ultimately fixed it properly or nor, that act opened up a whole new career for him. In this environment, and with his open consciousness, everything becomes a possibility for success -- even failure. In Silicon Valley, they "encourage" an atmosphere where failure is tolerated. It leads to Apples and Googles and more that change the world. (In fact, most of these early events in the story for Charles took place in Northern California, where the open land made everything seemed possible.) *Taking the initiative on the bicycle shop (that was failing) brought him to the front of the store (seeking out customers, anyone (!)), where the broken down car pulled up that enabled him to rise to the next level. (It was an atmosphere where everything was possible; where the negative (bicycle shop failure) became the “vehicle” (literally, figuratively, metaphorically) for the next great development in his career. *Tom was like a horse whisperer (see Robert Redford film) where he talks quietly to the horse to tame them and calm them down. It is the power of silence. It not only heals, but it attracts (good fortune). *Red’s early childhood. ‘The heroism we recite would be.’ The poetry expressed here becomes a predecessor of events that would follow. His father even says that Toby riding the horse is the real poetry. It is an externalization of a vision of beauty that has a power to affect life in the future.Red’s family is willing to take a risk with their child (Red), allowing him to join the horse raising tour. (This symbolizes and is a predecessor of the risks taken throughout the film, that engenders great success.) It is a nation of risk takers (which creates heroes and pioneers). *Charles’ son dies in a car crash. He is devastated. The negative serves a purpose, to spur us on. What was life's purpose here? To drive him forward to create great victories through the horse that would inspire the nation at a time of darkness and poverty. To enable him to put his energies elsewhere -- in Seabiscuit and the people around him; to overcome resistance of others -- instead of his family does his son die. Life often moves to the greater Good, through pain and the negative. (Though if we are more conscious, we can do so through positive means instead.) The negative from the highest view is merely a more intense form of the positive.) (Also: If he was to help heal the people of the US through the success of Seabiscuit, then somehow he had to relate to their pain. Crash is also the dark side of cars, i.e. of technology -- something we still have not dealt considering the tremendous number of accidents on highways today. Was Charles negligent leaving his son behind?) *Because Charles took action to get out of his depression by going to Mexico, things started to open up. As his energies flowed, life cooperated and brought a number of positive developments, including the arrival of his future wife on the scene. She in turn got him to get back on and ride a horse, which caused him to consider the possibility of getting into he horse racing business himself, which he does. When we make an effort to move out our negative feelings, life opens up. *Tom. He was even willing to take a horse with a fractured leg, which brought silence to their first meeting. (The power of silence to attract again.) Also he showed a willingness to work with anything. (Maximum realization of a horse resource?!?) In the times of the Depression you try to make due with anything available, especially if you are hobo on the open road. Tom taking care of the horse with broken leg attracts Charles, which changes Tom’s life. This is profound. It is Life Response! Tom takes care of the horse because as he says “you can’t throw a life away because it is banged up.” It is a value that would carry forth into modern western life where we care about those who are crippled -- even making a full effort to make them productive in society. It is a value that is beginning emerging in the times of the Great Depression (through the people’s mass suffering). *'“It’s not just the speed, but the heart.”' It is something that won’t run away from a fight. (Again, analogous to the American spirit or the human spirit during the Great Depression.) *'Red. He was willing to take the lowest job on the totem pole of walking the horses in circles -- a monotonous work -- in order to serve. And so Tom, looking for a horse for Jeff, suddenly appears on the scene, and meets him.' (Tom’s willingness to take any job, even the lowest attracts a powerful Life Response that changes the course of events. This is somewhat analogous to Dee Hock searching through the garbage, a low job for a former big executive, that led to him founding the new forms of credit card through VISA that changed the course of financial history.) It is life response. *Seabiscuit had a gentle nature -- mirroring the quietude of Tom’s horse-whispering. *(48:28) A synchronicity followed by intuition: Tom sees Seabiscuit angry and Red in a fight at the same time (i.e. a synchronicity perceived). He then links the two (for Red to later ride the horse), which is an intuition. *(49:30) Red has had a rough life, including as a fighter who rarely won, and thus is not afraid of Seabiscuit who is angry. He relates to the horse’s anger. It is not their essential nature, but due to their hard life, to Seabiscuit being mistreated, to life mistreating Red, they feel this way. This association calms down the horse (as it is being treated well by Red). *(53:00+) Because Red can relate to the horse, it performs beyond all expectations when he rides it to get it back to its natural state in the country after it has been abused -- i.e. after it was only trained to keep up with and motivate other horses to ride fast - an unnatural sate for Seabiscuit. (It is life responding.) *(55:01) Red coming to Charles is the bringing of his dead son back to him. Charles also becomes the father that Red left years ago (and with his blessing) to become a jockey (when things were so bad in the depression). Thus, Charles and Red are fulfilling a hole in one another’s lives. *(56:00) Red and Tom caring about the horse mirrors government/FDR caring about the state of the people. (It gives them hope, energizes them; as the horse is energized.) This might be the one great social insight of the story. *(58:00) Tom discusses strategies to calm down the horse (?) *(1h:06) Red is mad because his parents never contacted him, and over the years he has been through so many difficult ordeals. That anger causes him to lose the race at Tanforan. (Negative life response.) *(1h:08) Yet Charles is understanding and inquires into why he is so angry. Charles help Red get to the root of the things. Seabiscuit then wins his first major race. It is a powerful life response, indicating the power of self-givingness, calm, forgiveness.) *The author links the heart of the horse (and Red) to the new heart of the situation in the country. Charles says that the horse has great heart, like people in the country. *“Though he be but little, he is fierce.” (Shakespeare). Though the country has little good news, and is reduced in the current situation, it fiercely wants to improve itself -- especially now that the gov’t/FDR cares; i.e. especially as the horse perceives others around it that care. The little horse becomes a metaphor for society. *(1h:13) "A rags to riches story".Sometimes beings just need a second chance. (I.e. Seabiscuit; as well as the people now in the country.) *Charles – the power of a strategy to resolve a problem (to lure the reluctant eastern horse owners to come out to the west coast to race. He is smart and uses the power of money to lure them out, because he perceives that that is what they ultimately relate to). *(1h:23) Red loses the race (comes in second), yet once again Charles forgives him, is understanding, in particular when he finds out that Red is blind in one eye. (This goodness will come around to win the day for Charles in the big race later on.) We could say self-giving behavior is what evokes the life response of the victory in the big race later on. Red losing the race here is also a predecessor of the injury that keeps him out of the big race. *(1h:26) Charles maintains a positive attitude all along, which energizes the community around him, mirroring FDR’s positive attitude in the face of the Depression. Perhaps we can say that the vibration of the society is supporting the vibration of this horse story, including this positive attitude connection. *Charles is also determined; has a never say die attitude. (The power of intention.) Charles is a very nice case study for The Secret and Life Response. *(1h:38) “War Admiral is a superior horse with superior breeding,” says the owner of the horse. He (the owner) represents the arrogant forces that helped precipitate the Great Depression in the first place; that looked down on the common man, who had not yet fully come into his own. CM will however triumph, despite the mess the financiers (of the upper class) created to unleash the Great Depression. *(1h:40) “Let Seabiscuit look him in the eye,” then he will take off. Translation for society: let the common man see what the well-bred financiers have done, which will motivate the common man to overcome their difficult plight. (This is a subconscious ideal f the author expressing in the story.) *Question: Why does Red get injured before the big race (i.e. from a consciousness point of view)? What was that earlier connection (with that person who caused the injury when Red rode his horse)? *The man who came to ask the favor of Red was a symbol of failure; who had years earlier told Red he could not win. on, Red went looking for the man; and this person said Toby couldn’t succeed. That was the predecessor for the injury. *Maybe the replacement for Red is simply the better jockey; or the right jockey to win. He weighs less, and has less mental baggage. Someone with a less negative consciousness (in terms of held back negative energy about the past) was required for him to win. (Analogy -- The county was ready to move on with a purer positive emotion; not the angry emotion towards those who had ruined the society?] *Red absorbed the shock of negativity. Later on, the horse came up lame so he could be back with Red. (They both now have bad legs! And on the same side!)Charles listens, and gives in to others who feel that Red needs to ride Seabiscuit. Charles cares about Red’s health, AND he listens to others. He makes the contradictions complements. It’s worse for Red to have a broken heart than a broken leg. He wins on the comeback. *(2h:11) Everyone helped one another in the story. (Also in society.) All elements in the society pulled together to overcome their plight. *The unity of the Individual, the Universal, and Transcendent. We can all learn from the individual and social story to bring about the next stages of human unity. The little horse itself had heart – the ability to rise above all adversity and become a champion. It is something we can all learn from to help us achieve our fondest dreams in life. Other Aspects Inexplicable Aspects of the Story Points for explanation # News of the Great Crash comes just as Howard announced the glorious future of America. # The death of Howard's young son secretly driving a truck on a mountain rode. # Howard's wife blames him for the boys death and soon leaves him. # Marcela, a young attractive Mexican woman, befriends a lonely, grieving Howard while he is mourning his lost son in Tijauana. # A horse trainer recognizes Red's talent and offers him a job when his impoverished family is living in a welfare camp. # Aging unemployed horse trainer, Tom Smith, saves a horse with a broken leg from being shot and then nurses the horse back to health. Later that horse becomes a soothing companion to high tempered Seabiscuit. # Howard recognizes the talent in Smith and hires him to find and train a race horse. # Though coming from distinquished thoroughbred stock, Seabiscuit is maligned as too small and too lazy to succeed, beaten by a renowned trainer until he is too ornery to race and then deputed as a # Smith recognizes the strong spirit in Seabiscuit's eyes the first time he sees him. # Red loses the record purse of $100,000 at Santa Anita. # Red's old employer asks him for an apparently inoccuous favor -- to breeze a losing horse -- just before the match race with War Admiral and Red agrees with a sense of magnanimity to a former boss who had not failed to recognize his talens and had never done him any favors. The sudden burst of sound from the tractor causes the horse to bolt and throw Red, then drag him around resulting in multiple fractures to his leg that make it doubtful whether he will ever walk again and evident that he can never again race. # Seabiscuit injuries his ligament in the first race after beating War Admiral. # Seabiscuit's injury mirrors Red's. The doctors predict neither will ever race again. # Red and Seabiscuit both recover from apparently career ending injuries to win again. Unanswered Questions # Why did Howard's son die in the car crash? 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